Redesign of shooting range on hold

The Machickanee Forest Shooting Range, closed for nearly a year, is on the verge of rebirth. Oconto County has received preliminary notice it will receive a $175,000 grant that will allow the county to reorient the range to the northeast and incorporate other safety measures. The grant, which will cover 75 percent of the project’s total cost, is expected to be confirmed in late spring or summer, according to Robert Skalitzky, director of the Oconto County Forestry, Parks and Recreation Department. The Department of Natural Resources, which administers the grant money, requested an archaeological survey be done at the shooting range before any alterations are made. Reorienting the shooting range will help address the complaints of neighbors who say stray bullets have hit their outbuildings and landed in their yards. The grant would also pay for canopy shooting stations, to eliminate the problem of people shooting over berms. The range on Garrity Road in Morgan had been closed since May 2, 2014, because of ongoing safety concerns and noise complaints from neighbors. The range reopened briefly during a three-week period in November prior to the gun deer season. Skalitzky said once the county receives the grant paperwork, it will hold a public meeting in Morgan to discuss possible changes in the operation of the shooting range. These changes might include reducing the hours of operation; the shooting range had been open from sunrise to sunset 365 days of the year. Skalitzky said the committee has discussed other changes, too, such as increasing fees or charging individuals from outside Oconto County more than $5 per visit. The county’s attempt to purchase a privately owned 120-acre parcel between the range and the Machickanee Flowage has been unsuccessful. According to Skalitzky, the landowner wanted substantially more than the appraised price, which the county was not willing to pay. A stewardship grant would cover 50 percent of the appraised value of the property, and the county would be responsible for costs above that amount.